


rain, promising sun

by grains_of_saturn



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Challenge fic, FFFC bingo fic, Fluff, M/M, Rain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-31
Updated: 2018-03-31
Packaged: 2019-04-16 11:36:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14163987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grains_of_saturn/pseuds/grains_of_saturn
Summary: Every student forgets their umbrella at some point.





	rain, promising sun

**Author's Note:**

> For the FFFC March mini-bingo challenge, prompt square "dancing in the rain" (wildcard).

 

The clouds that hung heavy in the sky had set the tone for the rest of the day.

From first opening his bedroom curtains that morning, Prompto had just felt that _heaviness_ \- and he was sure that he wasn't the only one. There was just something about that sort of weather that made everything that bit more subdued; the walk to school seemed quieter, students gazing up at the sky, wondering if they'd left their umbrella at school _or was it still at home--_. Prompto had got into the habit of checking the weather reports (sunny days were good for photos, but cloudy days had their charm, too) and by all accounts, it seemed as if Insomnia was set for rain. Everyone was aware of it, but the sky - while promising it - seemed to want to take its time in complying. Classroom lights seemed brighter, compared to the gray expanse stretching out beyond the school's confines. The grounds lay dry - _for now_. Students wondering if their afternoon PE class could be cancelled, should it rain before that point. Others hoping it would hold out long enough to get home. Yet others who didn't care; it was only the weather, after all, but there was still _something_ about the school's atmosphere when the students were united by something, even if that something was as mundane as anything could be.

Prompto had leant his elbows against his desk, staring out of the classroom window. "Man... I wish it would just hurry up and rain, already. It's been like that all day."

Noctis, on the other hand, seemed remarkably unmoved by the prospect. "Weather does tend to be like that."

"But like, over there, see, the clouds looks _super_ dark...! Definitely gonna rain, when those get here. ...Is the wind moving them in this direction...? Kinda hard to tell from here."

"What, you thought it might not rain? Surprised it hasn't already, honestly."

"That's what I'm _saying_ \--! Drives me crazy with the sky just _looking_ like that and we all _know_ it's going to rain, so what's it waiting for?! Isn't that frustrating?!"

"I don't... know if I feel all that strongly about it, to be honest."

Prompto made a muffled sound of annoyance as he leant forward, face pressed into his arms. He turned his face to the side, most of his view from the window being just that relentless and endless _gray._

The school day continued, with those who hoped that PE might be postponed under threat of rain having their hopes dashed; the association, too, was that rainy weather would bring colder temperatures, but those out on the track and field found themselves surprised. The heaviness of the clouds seemed oppressive, the humidity in the air contributing to the sluggish atmosphere. Students checking their phones during breaks, noting that rain had started in some parts of the city, sharing around rain map websites in the attempt to predict the local rainfall. Teasing those who had forgotten their umbrellas, others trying to bargain with those who had prepared.

The end of the school day brought the students leaving through the main gates, as it ever did, although with a higher-than-normal level of glancing towards the sky, knowing that it could only be a matter of time. Some students were prepared, already holding their umbrellas, others were standing reluctantly at the entranceway, hoping that those heavy clouds would remain only as a threat just for a _little_ longer.

As it turned out, Noctis was one of these latter group of students, a fact that surprised Prompto somewhat. They stood in the doorway together, Noctis frowning at the sky, Prompto looking between them as he realized the situation.

"You mean _you_ didn't bring an umbrella either?!"

"I've got plenty of them!... At home, next to the front door."

"So you walk past them every day, right? And you just didn't feel like bringing one, or what?"

"I just didn't think about it, okay!? Sure, maybe it looked cloudy outside when I woke up, but I wasn't thinking about that at the time...! Wasn't until I was on the path where all the other students were that I heard everyone else talking about rain, and it was like... it's not like I could have turned around and gone back for one right then, could I? Would have made me late. I thought you might have brought one...!" He paused for a moment. "Why are you getting all surprised at me not having one when you don't have one either?"

"But that means _neither_ of us has one...!"

"Good, you've grasped the reality of our situation."

Prompto sighed, weighing up the options that were available to them. "I guess we just try and hurry back as fast as we can? Hasn't rained up to now, so maybe we'll be lucky...!"

"You sure about that?"

"Or we could, I don't know, try and buy an umbrella in the city? You'd hope that, all the shops they got there, gotta be _some_ that would sell umbrellas. Makes sense, doesn't it? This is _exactly_ the time to sell umbrellas. Supply and demand. Right?"

"... Maybe. I guess it can't hurt." Noctis pulled the collar of his blazer, as if steeling himself. "Okay, c'mon, let's go."

 

\-----

 

The sight of students milling around the city shops was a common one, although the usual crowds seemed to be noticeably reduced, even for the time of day. What became quickly obvious, however, was that those students who _were_ in the shopping district - or just the general population of those in the area at the time - had been quick to buy out the immediate supply of umbrellas. It seemed that Prompto's words had been correct, but that fact didn't help them; they went from the shops they were _sure_ would probably have them to _I think this place probably has them_ to _what do you think about this place?_ Each shop told a similar tale, however.

"I guess everybody else had the same idea, huh?"

"Looks like it."

The clouds had finally given out, the rain falling heavy and quick onto the streets around them. They stood under one of the city bus shelters, more for somewhere to perch (and avoid the rain) than to wait for the transport. The knowledge that they could likely have made it home in the time they'd spent looking around the shops hung heavy between them, but neither Noctis nor Prompto seemed willing to bring up _that_ point in conversation.

"I guess we'll probably just have to, like... make a run for it? Doesn't look like it's going to be stopping any time soon."

"I guess." Noctis shrugged off his blazer; other students had hurried past, holding them over their heads for some attempt at shielding themselves. (He wasn't sure how effective that was going to be, but it seemed worth a shot.) Before stepping out from the bus shelter, however, he turned to Prompto, and Prompto's schoolbag. "Your camera... will it be okay?"

"Huh? Oh, uh... these bags are pretty sturdy though, aren't they? Wouldn't be great if they soaked all your books every time there was a light shower."

"... I think this is more than 'a light shower'."

"Yeah, you're right." Prompto drew the bag up to his lap, opening it, and inspecting the contents. "It'll probably be fine." (Nonetheless, he still rearranged the items in there, hoping that surrounding it by the books and papers in his bag might provide some further level of protection, _just in case_.)

"We'll just have to go as quickly as possible. The faster we run, the less time we spend getting wet. Right?"

"Makes sense."

"Okay."

"Right."

Even having made those decisive points, there was still the fact that the bus shelter was dry, and the cruel world outside of it was _not_. Some hope still stuck at the back of both of their minds, that the rain might ease off slightly, or maybe this would just be a short shower--... but the gray of the sky had not changed in that time, and there was no sign of a break in the clouds or a respite from the rain.

"My place is closer. You want to come back with me?"

Prompto startled slightly at the question. That prospect did, at least, make things a little easier; they could run to Noctis's apartment, whereas to go to _his_ house would involve running through the rain, getting the train, more running... it was a slight change in his plans for that evening, but it seemed like the best idea for that immediate moment. He pulled off his own blazer, as if that was a statement in itself. "Sure, sounds good to me...! We gonna go for it, then?"

The determination was evident on Noctis's face. "Yeah."

That seemed to be enough for him; Prompto had almost expected them to sit there for another couple of minutes, totally agreeing that they were _definitely_ going to go _right now this moment_ , but suddenly Noctis was gone from the seat next to him, blazer over his head, running from the bus shelter. Prompto quickly made sure that he had his bag and that they hadn't left anything behind before stepping up from his seat, "Wait up--!"

They'd taken that path often enough that they barely needed to think about it, but the fact of the weather made every small landmark more prominent. Walking past _that shop_ , knowing they had _that much_ left to go. Leaving behind the shopping district, being out amongst the apartments, that park (absent of the children who would usually be there), _those_ trees - and the rain still fell, seeming to only increase in strength as they went. It almost felt strange to be aware of that, being able to hear the difference in the rain half a second before being able to _feel_ it - and others ran by, similar to them, holding bags or blazers or jackets above their heads, but it seemed to do little, overall, in the face of the force of the weather.

They got to the corner of one street, still with several more to go. Noctis slowed to a stop, leaning his hands on his knees, getting his breath back. Prompto brought his blazer down, wondering if there was any point in still holding it up; it was soaked through, as was he. As was Noctis, too; the thin, white shirts of their standard uniform did little to protect against the elements, especially without the protection of the blazer alongside it. There was nothing particularly salacious about that fact (and Prompto knew that he was in much the same position), but he still felt very aware of the moments spent glancing over the way Noctis's shirt clung to his back, his shoulders, the parts where the fabric had bunched up, slightly--...

"What is it?"

"Huh? Oh, uh--... I was just thinking, dude, you're _totally soaked_."

"... I'd noticed." Having caught his breath, he stood up straight and folded his arms, holding his blazer to his chest. "So are you."

"Right?"

Prompto wasn't sure what it was, exactly, about the situation that made him laugh; something about how Noctis just looked so _grumpy_ there like that, his hair plastered to the sides of his face, something about how they'd both ended up like that, despite every warning otherwise, something about how _this_ was the worst-case scenario that every student had been fearing when they'd looked up at the sky during class, and yet - it was fine. They were soaked through, but the rain wasn't as vicious as it could have been during some other season. It wasn't yet time to switch to summer uniforms, but things like _this_ felt they were the first sign of that. There was something uncomfortable about the humid weather turning directly into rain, but it was all just part of the time of year. Prompto wondered if this would help them to remember their umbrellas in the future; _probably not._

He couldn't help but laugh; the thing that encouraged him was that _Noctis laughed too_. It seemed that, he, also, had realized the faint ridiculousness in their predicament, and now they were stuck in the worst of it, all they could do was laugh it off. They continued to run towards the apartment, having discovered that a soaked blazer could still be used to flick water at one another. With less students having reason to head towards this part of the city, the streets became emptier as they went, until it was just the two of them, frustration having turned to delight, unobserved by any passer-by. It became almost like a game - it wasn't as if either of them could get any _more_ went, but they still found themselves trying. Nudging each other into bushes that lined the street as they went, or holding down tree branches to flick them up and cause a further cascade of water from the leaves. It almost felt freeing, _silly_ in a way that they weren't usually; when was there ever the chance to behave like this? Noctis grabbed Prompto, ruffling his hair, sticking it up in strange directions. Prompto tried to do the same in return, but found Noctis running away from him, the joy on his face of seeing Prompto's hair like _that_ kind of making it worth it, even as Prompto attempted to smooth it back down.

They laughed even as they approached the apartment building, as they stepped inside, as they made their way up to Noctis's own apartment. The apartment building was quiet otherwise, and there was always the possibility of getting told off for making too much noise - but as the elevator door opened on the appropriate floor, it seemed as if they'd gotten away with it.

Once inside the apartment, Prompto stood and pointed at the number of umbrellas that sat, undisturbed, next to the door. "See!? There's like--... if you'd brought all of these, we could have had one in each hand! Could have been _super_ protected against the rain--!"

"Not sure it works like that, honestly."

"Worth a go though, right?"

"... I guess you can try it, if you want." The apartment was nothing if not well-stocked, and Noctis was able to produce a number of what seemed to be freshly-laundered towels from the bathroom, throwing one in the direction of Prompto's face as soon as he'd changed his shoes. "Dry yourself off before you like, sit on the couch or whatever."

" _Fine._ " Prompto quickly started toweling off his hair, then padding it around his chest, wondering just how effective that was while he was still wearing his shirt. He glanced up from this to see that Noctis had wasted no time in divesting himself of his own shirt.

"... What are you looking at _now_?"

"Uh--..." It made _sense_ , at least. Get out of their wet clothes, pull on something dry, commend each other for having escaped the rain, but there was still that part of Prompto that hesitated. "Um... you won't get mixed up if I take mine off too, right?"

Does it matter that much? They're both the same."

"I--... I guess." Prompto unbuttoned his shirt, noting how Noctis seemed to be completely unperturbed by the action, going between where Prompto knew the bathroom to be, and his bedroom - eventually emerging from there wearing his casual jersey, with another set under his arm.

"You don't have to get changed right there, you know. There's more towels in the bathroom, if you need them. You can wear these; they should be okay for now. I mean, they're made to be comfortable, right? I'll, like..." He picked up Prompto's discarded shirt. "I guess I'll put these somewhere where they can dry, or something."

"R-right."

Having dried off to the best of their abilities, Prompto and Noctis eventually retired to the front room, television on, clothes drying, camera checked (it had escaped the ordeal unscathed), rain still falling outside. Noctis turned his head towards the balcony window.

"... It's really coming down, isn't it?"

"Yeah, well, that's what the weather said was gonna happen. Nice when it gets it right, isn't it?"

"Wouldn't have minded them being wrong in this case."

"Yeah, well." Prompto sat up straight, looking towards the window. It usually offered quite the expansive view of the immediate city around, but even that seemed to have been drowned out by the rain itself. However, there was something comforting about being able to watch it while under cover, knowing that it would continue somewhere beyond. The sound of the rain was loud, too, coming through even over the sound of the television - just enough to know that it was _still there_. "How long you think it's gonna last for?"

Noctis flicked through channels until he reached one that was showing the weather. "Probably through the night. You wanna stay over?"

"Huh?" Again, _a change of plan._ Again, _I guess this is easier than trying to go home when the weather's like this...?_ "I mean, it's not like the rain's gonna hurt or anything, I'd just, like, get wet again..."

"Right, or you could just... stay here, and not? It's up to you."

"Well... if you don't mind?"

"Why would I mind? It's easier, so don't worry about it."

"R-right. Thanks, Noct."

 _Maybe we'll remember our umbrellas next time,_ Prompto thought. He couldn't help the small part of his thoughts that suggested _although, if this is the end result of forgetting them? This is pretty okay, too._

 


End file.
